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Kabocha Squash Soup

This past week as “lacto-ovo” week in my Vegetarian Cuisine lab. With that being said, the following recipe originally did not have either lactose or egg in it but I had to make a quick decision at the end to add a dollop of cinnamon sugar sour cream to the top before presenting it because it didn’t meet the criteria for that weeks lesson. But honesty, this soup needs no such additions, it is naturally creamy with a bit of spice so the additional of the cinnamon sugar sour cream help off set that a bit for those who do not enjoy so much spice.

I picked up the kabocha squash (aka, Japanese pumpkin) which is an Asian variety of a winter squash. The outside of the kabocha is rough and dark green in color and may have some off white lines through it. The flesh is a beautiful yellow-orange. I would have to compare the flavor of this squash to that of a butternut squash, maybe a tad bit sweeter though and I found the texture to be similar to a pumpkin or sweet potato. Once blended, this was so thick and creamy…I was tempted to lick my bowl.

Kabocha Squash Soup

Yields about 40oz, Serving Size: 8oz, Number of Servings: 5

Soup Ingredients: U.S. Standard:

Olive oil, extra-virgin 2 tbsp.

Kabocha squash, peeled, seeded, large dice 35 oz.

Carrot, peeled, large dice 5 oz.

Celery, large dice 5 oz.

Apple, granny smith, peeled, seeded, large dice 4 oz.

Onion, white or yellow, large dice 5 oz.

Garlic, rough chop 2 tbsp.

Ginger, grated 1 tsp.

Paprika 1 tsp.

Cayenne pepper 1 ½ tsp.

Cinnamon, ground 1 ½ tsp.

Vegetable stock, divided 4 ½ cups

Salt, kosher 1 tsp.

Toppings:

Pine nuts, toasted ¼ cup

Mushrooms, crimini, sliced and blanched 4 oz.

Sour Cream ¼ cup

Cinnamon 1/8 tsp.

Sugar ¼ tsp.

Method of Preparation:

Gather all the ingredients and equipment.

Wash, peel, and wash the squash, carrot, celery, and apple. Set aside.

In a large stock pot add olive oil and heat over medium heat.

Add onion, and cook until translucent. This should take about 3-5 minutes.

Add garlic and ginger and cook for an additional minute.

Next, add in the kabocha squash, carrot, and celery.

Cook for 8-10 minutes until slightly softened.

Add in paprika, cayenne pepper, and cinnamon, stir to coat evenly.

Next add in 4 cups of the vegetable stock. Reserve the remaining ½ cup – this will be used to blanch the mushrooms.

Bring stock pot to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes or until squash is fork tender.

While the soup is simmering, take a small dry sauté pan and add the pine nuts.

Cook over medium heat until lightly toasted but do not burn them.

Remove the pine nuts and set them aside to garnish the soup with.

In the same sauté pan add the remaining ¼ cup of vegetable stock and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Add the sliced mushrooms and cook for 6-8 minutes.

Once the mushrooms have finished cooking, set them aside in a small bowl to garnish the soup with.

Add the mushroom stock to the simmering stock pot.

To create the sour cream topping place the sour cream in a small bowl.

Add the cinnamon and sugar and mix well. Taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary.

Turn off the stock pot.

In a heavy-duty blender puree soup (in batches if needed), until smooth.

Return back to the stock pot, season with salt.

Taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary.

Soup temperature must reach 165°F before serving.

Soup should be held at 135°F

Serve immediately in a large bowl topped with mushrooms, pine nuts, and a teaspoon of cinnamon sugar sour cream.

Cool remaining soup to 41°F as quickly as possible, by placing the a container of the remaining soup in an ice bath to help with the cooling process. Store in a refrigerator for up to 5 days.

To reheat the soup, place it in a stock pot and cook over medium-low heat (do not boil) until it has reached 165°F for 15 seconds.

Chef’s Notes:

This is a blended soup, so using a rough chop on the vegetables is a good way to save some time during preparation.

For a vegan option you may substitute out the sour cream for vegan sour cream such as “Tofutti Better Than Sour Cream”

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